Batting

Princess Anne, Md.— Senior shortstop Bridget O'Malley (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) got six hits in seven at-bats while playing stellar defense and stealing a base. But it was not enough as UMBC dropped two games to open the UMBC Kickoff Tournament at UMES on Saturday afternoon.

Game 1

UMES 6, UMBC 2

UMES (3-3) took a 1-0 lead on four consecutive singles off of Retriever starter Kim Puccio (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) to open the game. UMBC (2-9) tied the game in the second on a Jordan Sganga (Edgewater, Md./South River) sacrifice fly that scored sophomore first baseman Carly Lesko (New Milford, N.J./New Milford). O'Malley gave the Retrievers a brief 2-1 lead in the fifth with an RBI single that scored Morgan Peyou (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island), who led off the inning with a double and then stole third. The Hawks answered right back in the sixth with three two-out runs, all unearned. They then added two more in the seventh and completed the 6-2 victory. O'Malley went 3-for-4 while Peyou and Lesko both added two hits, and Puccio (1-2) pitched a complete game, giving up nine hits, three earned runs and striking and five.

Game 2

LAFAYETTE 3, UMBC 0

Lafayette starter Lindsey Cherry and Retriever starter Nicole Casagrand (Melbourne, Fla./Hatboro-Horsham) dominated the first six innings of the game, neither allowing a run until Lafayette (4-3) broke through in the seventh..That's when the Leopards scored three runs and took command. Cherry shut down UMBC in seventh to earn the complete-game win. O'Malley posted all three Retriever hits in the game, going for 3-for-3 and helping Casagrand keep the Leopards off the board with several key plays in the field. Casagrand also went the distance, giving up seven hits and three runs while striking out one without a walk in seven innings. UMBC closes out play in the UMBC Kickoff Tournament at UMES on Sunday with a 12:45 p.m. game against Lafayette, followed immediately by a rematch with UMES.